Automatic vending-machine.



No. 777,156. PATENTBD DEO. 18. 1904. W. R. THOMPSON.

AUTOMATIC VENDING l\flf.OHI1\E.`

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented December 13, 1904.

WILLIAM R. THOMPSON, OE SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE N. McKIbBIN, OF SOU"H NORl/VALK, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC VENDlNG-IVIACHIME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,156, dated December 13, 1904. .Application iiled September 30, 1903. Serial No. 175,137. (No model.)

To all when@ it may concern.-

Be it known that l, VILLIAM 1t. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Norwalk, Fairfield county, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vending-Machines, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates to automatic vending* machines; and my object is to improve and simplify their construction and to attain su-` perior results.

My invention will be defined in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying` drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my device with the inclosing box in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation through the operating parts, and Fig. 3 is a sectional front clevation.

In the drawings, 1 is a storage reservoir or chamber for the goods to be sold, said reservoir being in the form of a channel formed by opposed channel-sections which are each adapted to receive an end of the articles to be vended, which articles are preferably of a shape resembling a cylinder or any other form which may be conveniently held and operated in such a storage-chamber. Preferably these channel members are circularly disposed about an aXis, preferably a horizon" are actuated, preferably,by a weight or spring, a springv 3 being' herein shown as secured to an axis 4, uponwhich the arms are carried. These arms lie within the space between the two channel members which form the storage 5 O channel or chamber. A stop 5 is shown in the form of a rod connectingopposite frame members or sides 6 6, which limits the movement of the arms 2 in their upward direction.

In filling the storage chambers or channels 5 5 the arms 2 are pushed back as the articles are inserted. A convenient method of insertion is tl'nough an opening 7 in one side of the frame opposite the upper part of the chamber. As the two channel members are separated, it is easy to push the arms back by directly taking hold of them or by pushing back the articles after insertion.

The storage-chamber,l as above described, discharges into the delivery mechanism. This comprises a toothed wheel, preferably composed of two separated plates 8, as herein shown, the same being adapted to receive a single article between adjacent teeth. This wheel has a limited storage capacity. It is controlled by an escapement device which permits a single-tooth movement at a time. T have shown such a movement as consisting of the toothed wheel 9, mounted upon the same axis as the toothed feed-wheel, and the escapementqiawl l0. The escapement-pawl is controlled by the insertion of a coin of the proper denomination. A simple and preferred means for doing this is shown, which consists of an arm l1, carried by the escape]nent-pawls lO and extending 8f beneath the open end of the coin chute or channel 13, so that when struck by a coin descending through said. chute it will trip the pawl and permit a single-tooth movement of the feedwheel 8. This lever may be counterweighted 8f to hold it in proper position; but I prefer to use a slight spring', as 12.

The articles delivered to the toothed feedwhcel are retained for a time, so that nor mally there is a plurality of such articles carried within the teeth of said wheel. It therefore acts in an auxiliary storage capacity. The articles are retained by a retaining member or guard, such as the bar or plate la, which curves about a segment of the wheel. o; The weight of the articles themselves `is then utilized to actuatc the feed wheel. Upon reaching a certain point the articles clear the retaining' member or guard la and are'dropped upon an apron 15 or other suitable device, which conducts them outside the case, where they may be picked up. It will be noticed that one of the cylinders or analogous articles 23 which is about passing from the storage-channel 1 into one of the recesses between teeth of the feed-wheel wedges into place behind a tooth and in front of the curved guide bar or plate 21 in such manner as to lock the feed-wheel against backward turning. The plate 21 extends downward between the plates forming the toothed feed-wheel.

An alarm may be provided which will sound at the delivery of each article. I have shown such a device consisting of a bell 16, which is engaged by a striker or hammer 17, piveted at 18 and having connected therewith an arm 19, which is in the path of and is struck by the teeth of the feed-wheel 8. This is preferably counterbalanced by an arm, as 2&1, so

that it automatically returns to a position i clear of the bell.

The coin-chute maybe of any suitable or preferred form and may be provided with such fraud-preventive features as desired or necessary.

A casing is preferably placed about the operating parts. I have shown a simple box structure 2O as inclosing the device. This may be made of any design desired. It is preferably provided with a window 21, through which it is possible to see when the device becomes empty.

Evidently many of the parts may be varied from the structure here shown without essentially changing the invention. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact construction herein shown and described, but to claim any construction which falls within the scope of the following claims.

That l claim is4 1. An automatic vending device having a storage-channel for the articles to be vended circularly disposed about a horizontal axis, and means for discharging' said articles from the lower part of said channel and by movement in one direction only about said axis.

2. An automatic vending device having a storage-channel adapted to hold the articles in a row disposed about a horizontal axis, and to discharge from one direction only, and means for lifting the articles which will not of themselves discharge by gravity to such a point where they will discharge by gravity.

3. An automatic vending-machine having a storage-channel adapted to contain the articles to be vended without overlapping, said channel having a part from which the articles may i l l l l be discharged by gravity and a part from which they will not discharge by gravity, and means for lifting the articles in said latter part of the channel to the point from which they will discharge by gravity.

a. An automatic vending-machine having a storage-channel circularly disposed about a horizontal axis, and provided with adischarge in its lower part, a spring and means whereby said spring may act upon the articles therein upon one side of the discharge-opening to raise them to the top of said channel from whence they may be discharged by gravity.

5. An automatic vending-machine having' a storage-channel circularly disposed about an axis, an arm mounted upon said axis, and adapted to engage the articles in said channel and a spring' actuating said arm to advance the articles. l

6. An automatic vending-machine having a storage-channel circularly disposed about a horizontal axis, and provided with adischarge near its lower part, an arm adapted to engage the articles in said storage-channel to lift those upon one side of the discharge to the top of the channel, and a spring acting upon said arm to raise it.

7. A storage device for automatic vendingmachines comprising two channel-like members having their open sides facing and opposite each other said members extending circularl y about a horizontal axis, and means for raising' those articles therein which are at one side of the discharge-opening to the top of the channel.

8. An automatic sales device having a channel adapted to individually deliver the objects to be sold, a delivery-wheel having peripheral recesses for the individual reception of said objects, and means for checking the forward rotation of said wheel in position with one of the objects to be sold between one wall of a recess in the wheel and a wall of the said channel whereby the wheel is locked against hackward rotation.

9. A storage device for mechanical-delivery machines comprising oppositely-facing channeled bars adapted to receive the ends of the articles to be delivered and means for advancing the articles in the receiving-channei thereby formed, one of said bars having a hole in its outward surface through which the articles may be endwise inserted.

Signed at South Norwalk, Connecticut, this 25th day of September, 1903.

WYILLIAM R. THOMPSON. iVitnesses:

A. C. KNORR, E. H. EvoRY.

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